Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-03-14
8eligiuas department.
Have You Anything To GiveP

In what kind of a mind could the
utterly false, if not wicked, saying,
1.-The world owes us a living" have
originated? How often do we hear
it, How many people do we find
whose lives express the same idea
even if their lips do not give utter
ance to the language. Their men
tai attitude towards everything and
everybody about them seems to be,
Il am born: did not bring myself
here: am in no way responsible for
nv own existence find the world
a very wearisome and unsatisfactory
place: therefore l am entitled to
seize upon the few advantages of my
situation; L am justified in taking
possession of all | can get"
OF course such thoughts as these
are not formulated. They are not
put in plain English, the possessor
would indeed be quite ashamed if he
or she were told that any such idea
was entertained. Yet how many
act as if such were the main article
in their creed. Life has disap-
pointed us; we have found gall and
NORWOOD where we looked for balm
and roses; but at least we can be
comfortable we can have certain
rights, and these we will not have
infringed; we will protect our birth
right, and the world owes us liv-
ing"
1t may be an astonishing fact,
but whether or no the world does or
does not owe us a living, it has not
the slightest idea of granting US one
unless we or our ancestors have paid
for it in loyalty and devotion to a
sovereign, in hard work or in an ex-
ercise of brain power that has made
US valuable to this same sphere
which some of US seem inclined to
fancy owes us so much. There is
nothing which Mother Earth will al
low her children to do so readily as
starve, if they do not make proper
effort to give her a full return for all
that they get from her. The debt
may have been paid, as just suggest
ed, by our ancestors generations
back, but let US rest assured that for
nothing we shall receive nothing; if
we have nothing to give our return
shall be an exact equivalent of that
nothing. 1t is bootless to begin the
quoting of great examples. We
could begin with the text: tGod
so loved the world, that he gaze his
only begotton Som we could
continue the list until we named the
humblest martyr who ever suffered
in silence and in secret until some
small good was achieved, some one
weak human soul drawn from the
broad highway that leadeth to de-
structiOn into the straight and narrow
path. 1t is always the same. We
each have our work to do the bust
ness of receiving is in our hands.
Our reward may be great, 9g it may
be nothing so far as this world goes
we cannot control it we can do moth
ing at all about it.
All that has ever been done for
the world worthy of accomplishment,
has been done without the slightest
idea of reward. Fancy John Bunyan
in his prison laying aside his pen to
wonder what the reviewers would
say of his wonderful dream; think
of Florence Nightingale putting
down a cup Of Cruel she was carry
ing TO some patient. TO wonder if
the English Government would allow
the head nurse at the Crimean hos
pitfalls a suitable salary.
The world is not by any means an
ideal debtor. 1t is in fact utterly
careless about and Indifferent to its
debts. The sooner we learn to ex-
pect nothing from it, the sooner we
guard ourselves against disappoint-
ment. The only question that should
interest US is what we have to give.
Thomas Carlyle writes: Il must
deliver my message" That is all
we have to consider. We are mes
sengers sent hither with something
to say, or laborers dispatched to this
sphere with some work to perform
Our Master is not here, nor our pay
master. We have only to fulfil our
mission; other questions are out
side our range.